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A gaming headset that safeguards young players

ProtectSet by Mobily Esports, Mullenlowe MENA

MENA – Marketing company Mullenlowe is teaming up with digital gaming service Mobily eSports to create a headset safeguarding young gamers from online predators.

The ProtectSet headset uses voice-modifying technology to alter the sound of children’s voices and make them sound older, with the aim of masking their age and lessening the threat of harmful online communications. This innovation comes at a time when an increasing number of children are playing online games and facing potential risk of abuse.

'We decided to reimagine headsets and transform them into powerful tools... because the only way we’ll end this issue is by talking to kids and their parents, making this a topic of discussion in every home,' says Matt Butterworth, managing director, Mullenlowe MENA. This product also responds to Mobily eSports research, which finds that some 74% of parents admit to being worried about their children’s online safety.

In this way, the ProtectSet is stepping up to support parents and provide greater peace of mind around the digital experiences of children – something we also explore in Teen Tech Welfare.

Match rejects the gamification of online dating

Match branding by Collins, US

US – Digital dating platform Match has unveiled a new visual identity that reimagines online dating as an intimate exchange.

Coinciding with the platform's 25th anniversary, the new identity directly targets a Millennial audience with updated imagery intended to express the traditional aesthetics of romance. For the colour story, the studio opted for muted purple tones to differentiate from the typical ‘loud’ branding consistent with dating apps. In tandem, the new iconography features the letters in Match purposefully close together and the heart emblem is reimagined as a ‘confident full-stop.’

As many online dating apps rely on addictive swiping motions that can lead to inauthentic connections, Match’s romance-focused rebrand aims to elevate the online dating experience. ‘The gamification of all the other apps has left one of the biggest values on the table – which is romance,’ explains Nick Ace partner and creative director at Collins.

Due to the pandemic, new design-focused innovations enable daters to match from afar as well as mitigate feelings of swipe fatigue. Discover more case studies in our socially distant dating round-up.

Science-backed beauty packaging inspired by nutrition labels

Efficacy Panel by Codex Beauty Labs, US

UK – Skincare brand Codex Beauty is including an ‘efficacy panel’ on its products to empower consumers through quantifiable data around product purpose and effectiveness.

Taking inspiration from nutrition labels, Codex is displaying science-backed information on its packaging – and detailing products’ ability to address skin concerns like hydration and sebum production. On its labels, the brand will highlight results shown for 28, 56 and 84 days of using a product. Barbara Paldus, beauty founder and CEO of Codex was prompted to introduce this level of transparency in response to frustration around the lack of information on formulations and efficacy claims in the beauty sector.

‘We are drawing a line in the sand for every other company to basically say, ‘I’m going to show you mine. Now, you show me yours,’ explains Paldus. ‘Then you can actually start quantifiably improving your products, the price and the value to the consumer.’

Building on the trend for Honest Beauty, the decision to showcase data in such an upfront way is enabling consumers to better navigate products according to their desired results.

Stat: Baby Boomers are leading mobile usage

Consumers are now spending more time on mobile apps, according to The State of Mobile 2021 report by analytics firm App Annie.

Owing to the pandemic, gaming has become a popular pastime for Baby Boomers, with two thirds of this group now playing video game apps on their mobiles. Mobile app usage as a whole grew among older generations. The time that Generation X and Baby Boomers spent on their mobiles increased by 16% year on year, compared with 14% for Gen Z and 13% for Millennials. Baby Boomers prefer mobile apps in the news and weather categories, while Gen Z skew more towards social media apps such as Snapchat and Twitch.

The interest in gaming across generations could be an opportunity for gaming firms to develop more inclusive consumer strategies. For more on the expansive potential of the gaming sector, explore our Gaming vertical.